- In my book Qdoba is the best overall burrito joint...most varied menu and most consistency with what you order. Moe's definately wins in price however (Salsarita's during it's short time at the waterfront was even cheaper...$6 for a burrito, chips, salsa, AND drink!) and I think that Chipotle's chips and guac are far superior to any other choice. (Moe's guac has tomatoes which is fine, but I like how Chipotle/Qdoba can avoid them for the most part and still make a great guac)- Roland's in the strip's Lobster roll is my typical pre-home game meal with my family. Their fish sandwiches are ridiculously huge as well.- Green Forrest is amazing. Tons of meat = amazing.- Tessaro's is the best burger in the 'burgh.- Benihana is better than your average hibachi restaurant and YES, Nakama is super overrated. Yokoso at the Waterfront is overpriced and has like zero atmosphere but they have great food and again portion size, etc. is consistent which I appreciate. Also, a new and relatively unknown hibachi restaurant with a TON of character is Sawa at Monroeville mall. I went there for the first time a few weeks ago and had a great time. Our cook shot sake into our mouth's continually all night and essentially we drank for free. Ichiban (various location including Waterworks) is very cheap and you get both rice AND noodles. Shogun in Monroeville is also cheap (comparatively) and they have a really cool bathroom. It's not very chic though and sometimes they have questionably clean carpet, but hey you're not eating off of that, right?- Rivertowne is great. I frequent the one in Verona because it is near my work, but have been to the North Versailles one as well. The pretzels are unreal, and their spinach and artichoke dip is by far the best I have ever had anywhere. It is worth a trip of it's own.

Last edited by manicmonday18 on Tue Jul 28, 2009 7:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

jaysmiter wrote:Hibachi Japan in Peters is pretty good and I like it better than Benihana. It's slightly cheaper, less of a crowd, and I think they food's better. Now, if we were talking about when Benihana was the restaurant *before* Benihana (completely drawing a blank on the old name), well that place was the best.

Now a few addtions of my faves:-Armstrong's in Caste Village shopping center (Castle Shannon) Huge portions, delicious home cooking, and a hugely varied menu. A typical "has it all" restaurant. Their fried zucchini is amazing as well as their steak salads.- Vincent's Pizza Park in Forest Hills. Huge greasy pizza that you can safely eat about once a year. Worth the trip and experience (cash only!)- Silk Elephant in Squirrel Hill. Great Asian/Thai food. Probably 50 different Martini flavors (I'm a girl, it's ok) and amazing corn fritters. A friend of mine always gets some tropical fried rice that she raves about...if you are into fruit, nuts, and rice...try it.- Bangkok Balcony in Squirrel Hill. Great Thai food....same menu as most Thai places, just better though I believe. - Big Jim's in Greenfield. Awesome chicken parm (enough to take home and eat for 2 days....no joke) and hot sausage sandwiches. I saw it on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.- The Doorstop in Dormont (also from DDD)....the best banana pancakes I have ever had. I won't even put syrup on them for fear of tainting them...I eat them straight up and dry they are so good.- Franktuary downtown. Awesome hotdogs...in a church- Joe Mama's in Oakland is delicious Italian and they have a half off menu from 11-12 pm.- I know it's a chain but Five Guys has the best fast food hamburger in the burgh, but each burger is MTO. I have been to the ones in Waterworks and Oakland...not sure of other locations.

Dan H wrote:Nobody's mentioned Le Pommier on Carson Street? It's pricey, but not outrageously so, and everything I've ever had there has been at least good, and usually very good.

never been to Le Pommier. glad you mentioned it. every time I walk by I think to myself I should try there. mental note to try it next time we wanna go out.

And in regards to Joe Mama's. I will NEVER go there again. The last time I was there, there was a huge hair in my food and I mentioned to the waitress and she took it back and just took the hair out and brought it back. I purposely but a little piece of bread upside down on it and the bread didn't move... also they lost my GFs card the last time she was there for over an hour. they found it said it was on the floor of the of the kitchen and it was sopping wet and she said something about it and the waitress said "it is probably just my managers sweat". not going there again lol

Expanding on some trends here:-I've never been to Big Jim's, but Diners, Drive-ins and Dives led me to The Dor-Stop which was awesome. The original Jumbot is excellent, and Guy Fieri's revised version is awesome too. I also discovered Nadine's in the Southside thanks to that show and have gone there quite frequently. Great food (cheap too) and great atmosphere. Their food is so simple, yet so good...fried bologna, grilled cheese, meatball sandwiches etc.

-On the topic of Oakland restaurants, I think Joe Mama's is incredibly overrated food-wise, and have had crappy service everytime I've been there. They have a fried egg and capicola sandwich that's good, but their pasta is nothing special. Fuel and Fuddle on the other hand is awesome. Great pizzas and appetizers and a cool atmosphere. Funny because I think the same person owns these two restaurants as well as Uncle Sam's Subs. Going to Fuel and Fuddle for half-off after Pens games is a regular occurrence for me during the school year.

5 Guys is my favorite fast food burger by a landslide. I love that place.

Does anyone say to themselves when arriving at Fat Heads either...

1. I wish they made this place bigger, like closing in the patio so that it can be used all year round.

2. Why didn't they add more seats upstairs instead of making it that 6-pack to go shop?

Dont get me wrong, I love Fat Heads, and I brace myself for a long wait any time I got there, but come on. That place makes plenty of money where they could expand it (at least the patio) or open a 2nd location in Pittsburgh.

-mancinis (the bread place) they have one in the strip and one in market square. sometimes ill walk in there on my lunch break and just get one of their huge pepperoni rolls and a diet coke for a lunch

-the villa in cadogen. its a cool little restaurant that flourishes being out in the middle of nowhere, about 20-30 minutes north from the pittsburgh mills off route 28. a nice place to take a fall afternoon car ride out to.

-india garden in oakland. im pretty scared to try foreign foods, but i always enjoyed going here for their lunch buffet and i thought the place looked pretty cool inside at night.

I had a very pleasant dinner last evening at Bella Frutteto. It an Italian restaurant in the north hills, right off the Wexford exit of 79. It's located at the end of a little strip mall there, but you'd never know it from the very nice interior. The food was great. The apple ravioli are quite good, and the marinara sauce with my Italian meatloaf tasted as if the ingredients were still on the vine that morning. The Trib review mentions that the head chef started out as a pastry chef, and the biscotti I had for dessert was really good. The prices won't break the bank either; it looked like most entrees ran from $15–20. I can heartily recommend the place.

I ate at Moes for the first time today and I was very let down based on the good reports. For starters, I have a hard enough time figuring out what mexican food is (such as the difference between and enchilada, empanada, chimichunga, chinchilla, etc). Then they give their food these crazy names that made no sense to me and since the line was moving fas I just ordered exactly what the guy in front of me ordered.

It was a steak burritto with rice, salsa, and beans. I thought it was rather underwhelming. The steak had a very strong pepper flavor and the salsa did not add much to it. I was impressed with the wrap job on it, much cleaner than the others.

K2 wrote:I got pancakes at the Dor-Stop the other day. Best ones I ever had. I could eat them without syrup they were that good.

next time you go you gotta try the stuffed French toast. I go there everytime with the intention of trying something new and can't. The pancakes don't even come close to the stuffed french. Unless it's the oatmeal banana then it's a different story....

PenguinSteve-o wrote:Doc's place in Shadyside. Bar/restaurant. Best club sandwhich i ever had. and people say their pizza is awesome. thats all, dont live downtown.

I was there with this girl one night for dinner and drinks, and she got the moldiest bun i've ever seen a restaurant serve...and not only that they were complete jerks to her when she sent it back....I havent really had much food from there, but the pizza does smell real good.

PenguinSteve-o wrote:Doc's place in Shadyside. Bar/restaurant. Best club sandwhich i ever had. and people say their pizza is awesome. thats all, dont live downtown.

I was there with this girl one night for dinner and drinks, and she got the moldiest bun i've ever seen a restaurant serve...and not only that they were complete jerks to her when she sent it back....I havent really had much food from there, but the pizza does smell real good.

Doc's is the worst bar in the city.

Yeah...i hate that place...the only good thing about it is that it has so much more space than all the other shady side bars (west penn tavern, shady grove, cappys, mardi gras)